Diaper pin



H. f. HEYDEN May 26, 1959 DIAPER PIN Filed Feb. 13, 1958 INVENTORHEIREERT F. HYDEN WKk/VQQL ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent DIAPER PIN Herbert F. Heyden, Jackson Heights,N.Y., assignor to Baby World Company, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., acorporation of New York Application February 13, 1958, Serial No.715,012

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-456) This invention relates generally to fasteningdevices, and especially concerned with fastening devices of the safetypin type. v

As is well known, especially in the care of babies, conventional safetypins are not entirely safe, being the direct cause of not infrequentaccidents resulting from inadvertent opening of a safety pin by themanipulation or body movement of a child. That is, conventional safetypins have been found to accidentally open, and thereby expose the sharpfree end point, without any directed effort toward this end.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a novelsafety pin construction which, although relatively easy to open andclose for an adult capable of coordinated eifort to positively directthe free leg, is effectively prevented from being unintentionally openedby the manipulations and body actions of a child.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a unique safetypin construction which is extremely simple, sturdy and durable in use,and capable of being manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings,which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal view showing a safety pin of the presentinvention in closed condition;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal view showing the safety pin of Figure l andtaken at right angles with respect to the latter;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal view similar to Figure 1, but showing thesafety pin in its open condition;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along theline 44 of Figure 1, showing the safety pin in its closed condition; and

Figure 5 is a partial, longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 55 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the safety pin of thepresent invention, as illustrated therein, includes a pair of front andback legs and 11 resiliently connected together at one pair of adjacentends, and a protective cap, generally designated 12 adjacent to theother leg ends. In any conventional manner, the legs 10 and 11 may beresiliently connected together at one pair of adjacent ends, as by aconvolution or coil 13 integral with the legs. Thus, the front and backlegs 10 and 11 are normally disposed, in their unstressed condition, indiverging relation away from the connected ends or joint 13, andresiliently movable toward each other. The protective head or cap 12 iscarried fixedly on one end of the leg 11 remote from the connection 13,while the end of front leg 10 remote from the connection 2,887,748Patented May 26, 1959 is free, as at 14, for swinging movement towardand away from the back leg 11.

The protective head 12 is advantageously fabricated of plastic, or othersuitable material, and generally of a flattened cup-shape lyingapproximately in the plane of legs 10 and 11. As best seen in Figure 4,the cup-shaped member or head 12 is of generally ovaloid configuration,both interiorly and exteriorly, in its transverse cross sec- U011.

It may be considered that the ovaloid shaped cupmember or head 12includes front and back end walls 18 and 19, respectively, and sidewalls 20 and 21 extending between the end walls. The head 12 is fixedlysecured to the back/leg 11 by having the region of said leg remote fromsaid leg connection 13, as at 22, embedded in the head end wall 19. Inthis fixedly secured relation on the back leg 11, the head 12 extendsgenerally from the back leg towards the front leg 10, and is arrangedwith its internal cavity or hollow facing toward the leg connection 13.Stated otherwise, the head 12 is closed at its outermost region 23,longitudinally of the safety pin, and opens longitudinally inward of thesafety pin toward the opposite safety pin end at the leg connection 13.

In one side wall of the cup-shapedmember or head 12 the side wall 20, ata location adjacent to but spaced from the end wall 19, there isprovided a through opening or slot 25 extending from the inner edge ofwall 20 toward and terminating short of the distal head region 23, andopening laterally between interior and exterior of the head. Morespecifically, the opening or slot 25 is located in spaced relationintermediate the end wall 19 and the minor axis of the ovaloid member.The opening 25 is adapted to pass therethrough the free end 14 of frontleg when the latter is resiliently directed laterally through theopening. In Figure 4 it is best seen that the free end of front leg 14is received within the cup-shaped element or head 12 and by its tendencyto move toward its open position of Figure 3, is resiliently retained inbearing engagement against the head end wall 18.

In addition, the head 12 is provided with an internal wall 28 extendingfrom the end wall 19 generally along the major axis of the ovaloid headso as to be centrally spaced in relation with respect to the side walls20 and 21. The wall 28 extends past the side wall opening 25 and theminor ovaloid axis toward and terminates short of the opposite or frontend wall 18. Also, the internal wall 28 may join or be integral with thelongitudinally outer head wall 23 and have its inner edge substantiallyflush with the inner edges of the side walls 20 and 21, as best seen inFigure 5. The terminal region of the internal wall 28 is advantageouslyenlarged, as at 29, beyond the minor axis of the ovaloid head, whichenlargement is preferably symmetrical about the major axis of theovaloid. The terminal enlargement 29 is formed with a recess or groove30 which faces toward the end wall 18 and subdivides the enlargementinto furcations 31 and 32 extending respectively toward and spaced fromthe side walls 20 and 21,at locations intermediate the end wall 18 andminor axis of the ovaloid shaped head.

It will now be' appreciated that the internal wall 28 and itsenlargement 29 combine with the remainder of the head 12 to define apair of passageways 33, 34 on opposite sides of the internal wallrespectively adjacent to the side walls 20 and '21. Further, each of thepassageways 33 and 34 extend from the end wall 19 to the end wall 18,and the passageways communicate with each other in the region adjacentto the latter end wall. Also, the enlargement 29, and more specificallyits furcations 31 and 32 serve to restrict the passages 33 and 34,respectively, to a minimum dimension slightly greater than the thicknessof the received free leg end 14. Thus, mere squeezing together of thelegs 10 and 11, or other undirected movement of the leg toward leg 11,from the closed condition of Figure 4, will move the free end of theformer leg through one of the passages 34 or 33 to engagement with theend wall 19, or into the recess 30, none of which will enable the safetypin to open. It is only upon positive direction of thefree leg end 14first through the constriction of passageway 43 between wall andfurcation 31, and then laterally outward through opening 25, that theleg 10 may be released from its captive relation within the head 12.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides asafety pin which fully accomplishes its intended objects, and is welladapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by wayof illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, itis understood that certain changes and modifications may be made withinthe spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety pin comprising a pair of front and back legs resilientlyconnected together at one pair of adjacent ends and normally divergingfrom said one ends in their unstressed condition, the other end of saidfront leg being free, and a protective head on the other end of saidback leg for releasably retaining the free end of said front leg, saidhead comprising a flattened cup-shaped member having longitudinallyextending side walls and end walls and arranged with one end wall fixedto said back leg and extending therefrom generally toward said.

front leg with its internal cavity opening toward said connected legends, said cup-shaped member being formed in a side wall thereof with alaterally extending through opening adjacent to and spaced from said oneend wall for passing therethrough the free end of said front leg, saidfree end of said front leg being normally in resilient bearingengagement with the other end wall of said cupshaped member whenreceived in the latter, and an internal wall in said cup-shaped memberextending from said one end wall in centrally spaced relation withrespect to said side walls beyond said side wall opening toward andterminating short of said other end wall, said internal wall combiningwith said cup-shaped member to define a pair of passageways on oppositesides of said internal wall extending from said one end wall to andcommunicating with each other in the region of said other end wall,whereby said free front leg end is movable from said normal position insaid cup-shaped member through either of said passageways intoengagement with said one end wall beyond said through opening, saidinternal wall obstructing removal of said free front leg end when in thepassageway remote from said through opening andsaid free front leg endbeing removable through said through opening only by positive lateraldirection when in the passageway adjacent to said opening.

2. A safety pin according to claim 1, in combination with an enlargementon the terminal region of said internal wall to restrict saidpassageways to dimensions only slightly larger than that of said freefront leg end.

3. A safety pin according to claim 2, wherein the enlargement is formedwith a recess facing toward said other end wall for receiving said freefront leg end and fur ther obstructing its undirected removal from saidcupshaped member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS628,598 Clark July 11, 1899 1,233,253 Lally July 10, 1917{ 2,017,651Campbell Oct. 15, 1935 2,351,569 White June 13, 1944 2,551,063 SneirsonMay 1, 1951 2,633,617 Clark Apr. 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 45,025 GermanyOct. 18, 1888 507,155 Great Britain June 9, 1939

